The 2nd Conference of the Digital Belt and Road (DBAR 2017) and the 3rd International Conference on Remote Sensing Applications in Tropical and Subtropical Areas (RSATSA 2017) will be held in Hong Kong, China, on December 6-8, 2017. Hosted by the Digital Belt and Road Program (DBAR) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the event will provide an international platform for participants who are engaged in the Belt and Road’s research and applications of Earth observation technology. We would like to welcome you to participate in this important and meaningful event.

The Belt and Road region covers a vast area and involves over sixty countries and a large population, facing numerous problems related to sustainable development. The combined pressure of climate variability, intensified use of land and marine resources, and the fragility of many ecosystems in the Belt and Road countries make it very challenging to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, the DBAR was initiated in 2016 by the scientists from Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, aiming to promote cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road to demonstrate and foster the smart uses and applications of “Big Earth Data”, in support of the sustainable development of people and economies at local, national and regional levels. Assessment and monitoring of terrestrial and marine ecosystems require observations that must be precise, accurate, and timely, and measure both objects and processes across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Earth observation technologies have the advantage of macro-level, rapid, accurate monitoring of global and regional environmental changes. They play a significant role in studying resources and the environment and are of great significance for the construction of the Belt and Road.

The DBAR vision is the promotion of international cooperation that integrates Earth observation science, data, technology, and applications to address environmental change and attain SDGs in the Belt and Road region. The uniqueness of DBAR is its goal of building upon the diverse Earth observation capacities in the Belt and Road countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa through comprehensive and well-funded action.

In May 2016, the International Symposium on Earth Observation for the Belt and Road (1st DBAR Conference), released the “Beijing Declaration on Earth Observation for the Belt and Road”. The Declaration stated that the Belt and Road initiative is a crucial endeavor to meet the development challenges in the future for nations in the Belt and Road region, and called for the implementation of DBAR. Later in December 2016, the 1st DBAR Meeting was held in Beijing and officially established seven working groups on Big Earth Data, Agriculture and Food Security, Coastal Zones, Environmental Change, Natural and Cultural Heritage, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Water, and two task forces for Urban Environments and High Mountain and Cold Regions.

The joint event of DBAR 2017 and RSATSA 2017 is aimed to bridge the gap between the great successes of Earth observation technology and challenging applications in Belt and Road countries. The event could make progress towards the establishment of a platform for high-level exchange between academics, research scientists and resource management practitioners.

You are all cordially invited to attend DBAR 2017 and RSATSA 2017!

Finally, much appreciation is given to the Chinese University of Hong Kong and its Institute of Space and Earth Information Science for organizing the conference.

GUO HuadongChair of DBAR ProgramChair of International Steering Committee of RSATSA 2017

Dear Colleagues,

The 2nd Conference of the Digital Belt and Road (DBAR 2017) and the 3rd International Conference on Remote Sensing Applications in Tropical and Subtropical Areas (RSATSA 2017) will be held in Hong Kong, China, on December 6-8, 2017. The event will be hosted by the Digital Belt and Road Program (DBAR) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and organized by the Institute of Space and Earth Information Science (ISEIS), CUHK. ISEIS was established in 2005. It was developed on the base of the Joint Laboratory for GeoInformation Science (JLGIS) of Chinese Academy of Sciences & the Chinese University of Hong Kong. ISEIS is the Hong Kong Base of the National Remote Sensing Center of China (NRSCC), the contact point of working group on remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

ISEIS consists of three major units: research, education and training, and technology development. The major objectives of ISEIS are: 1) To be a remote sensing centre in the tropical and sub-tropical region in conducting and promoting various researches, including tropical and subtropical remote sensing and Virtual Geographic Environments (VGE). Built upon Earth information science and technology, inter-disciplinary research and applications of social and natural science can be promoted to serve the needs of human society. 2) To be an academic exchange centre of GeoInformation Science at the both side of the Taiwan Straight in order to provide services with national culture characteristics for urban planning and management information system by collaborating with governments, universities and experts. 3) To be an international exchange and cooperation centre of GeoInformation Science in Hong Kong.

ISEIS's main research areas include tropical and subtropical remote sensing, VGE, emergency response and natural disaster monitoring and management, urban and metropolitan GIS, analysis and modeling of the urban settlement environment, public health and geographic information systems, Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and spatially integrated humanities and social science. The institute is equipped with middle-high resolution satellite remote sensing ground receiving stations, which provides a unique opportunity for researchers and students for carrying out earth observation related activities.

We are honored to co-host and organize the event of DBAR 2017 and RSATSA 2017. You are all cordially invited to join us in Hong Kong in December 2017. For details of the event, please visit our official website at http://www.iseis.cuhk.edu.hk/DBAR2017_RSATSA2017.